How to use AutoNotification and AutoRemote Notification for Android/Tasker

The Auto series of apps by developer joaomgcd have been heavily featured on the site before, and now that I have a phone on Jelly Bean, I can use more of it. The first thing I tried out was AutoNotification, a new Tasker plug-in that allows you to send much more complex notifications than Tasker in itself can, including Jelly Bean-specific features.

Update: An additional article with more tips for this is available here.

AutoNotification vs AutoRemote Notification

AutoNotification is a standalone app, but some of its functionality is actually also available in the flagship app, AutoRemote. If you have AutoRemote, you will have a Tasker action named AutoRemote Notification in your Plugin list in Tasker, and this works similarly to the stand-alone AutoNotification plug-in. Essentially, you can give AutoRemote AutoNotification’s functionality by specifying “myself” as device in the AutoRemote Notification settings.

While their functionality might end up being identical at some point, there are however some differences at the time of this writing. Currently, AutoRemote Notification is missing the following features available in AutoNotification:

Persistent notifications

Custom status bar icons

Custom button icons (Jelly Bean)

Local images for icon and picture (Jelly Bean)

I will write the rest of this post with the focus on how AutoNotification works, so just keep in mind that with the above exceptions, it should work with AutoRemote Notification as well.

Video tutorial:

The video below goes through the same as what’s further down in the article, but shows it in practice.

Basic concept

The concept behind AutoNotification is that you can use Tasker to create notifications. This is already available in Tasker as the action Notify, but the difference is that AutoNotification fully supports the notification options introduced in later versions of Android. This includes the ability to put buttons, images, icons, and more text in the notifications.

AutoNotification Message?

Five of the options found in the configuration screen refer to something called “AutoNotification Message”. These work the same way that AutoRemote messages/commands work, i.e. that they’re used to trigger profiles and/or transfer information. If you add a new profile in Tasker, you will notice a AutoNotification context under State->Plugin. This context will trigger when there’s an AutoNotification message available, assuming that the message matches its filters (if any). You set up filters in the AutoNotification context configuration, and the basic use is fairly straight forward. If you specify “hello” in the message filter, it will trigger on messages that say “hello”. You can read more about how this system works in the guide to AutoRemote, which uses the same format for messages.

Available options

The following options are available in the AutoNotification action configuration screen. You can use as many or as few of them as you’d like. Some of these are only available on Jelly Bean and above.

Title: Notification title

Text: Notification text

Ticker: The text that scrolls across the notification bar when the notification appears. If empty, it will use the Text field above.

Message: An AutoNotification Message that is sent when the notification appears.

URL: URL that is opened when notification is clicked

Action: An AutoNotification Message that is sent when the notification is clicked (replaces the URL option if used)

Icon: Icon to use in the notification. This can be an internet address or a local file.

Status Bar Icon: An icon to appear on the status bar. Currently you can choose between a range of internal icons, but not specify your own.

ID: An ID to refer to that specific notification. You can use this to have one notification replace another (use same ID), and it’s needed to the persistent notification feature (see below)

Persistent: If checked, the notification cannot be removed by the user the normal way. Instead, you have to run a Tasker task with the action AutoNotification Cancel, and specify the same ID as the persistent notification, in order to remove it. This is highly useful for (semi-)permanent notifications that you don’t want to accidentally remove.

Sound: Sound to play when the notification appears.

LED: Settings for phones with a notification LED

Vibration Pattern: Similar to Notify Vibrate in stock Tasker, this allows you to specify a vibration pattern for when the notification appears. You specify this as alternating numbers for how long to pause and vibrate, in milliseconds. For instance, “1000 1000 1000 1000” will make it pause for a second, then vibrate for a second, then be quiet for a second, then vibrate for another second.

Picture: A large image for big picture notifications, like you see when you take a screenshot. Same format as for Icon applies.

Share: Will make an Android share button appear in your notification.

Action Button 1/2/3: Allows you to add buttons to your notification, where the message specified here will be sent as an AutoNotification Message when the button is clicked.

Action Label 1/2/3: Specifies a name/label for the specific button

Action Icon 1/2/3: Specifies an icon for the specific button. Same restrictions as for Status Bar Icon.

What to do with it?

This is a very powerful feature that has a lot of uses. In the video at the top, I explain how I’ve used it for my todo list app that I made in Tasker, by using the ability to add buttons to create more powerful notifications. Since you can tie buttons to whatever Tasker can do, there’s no limit to what you can make it do. You can create your own music control widget, create a home automation control widget, create quick wife messaging widget with predefined messages, create a panic button notification, and so on and so forth. Tasker’s own Notify action only allows for a single task to be run, i.e. from clicking the notification itself, and this expands that to a maximum of five AutoNotification Messages.

AutoNotification is free, with a $1 in-app purchase to unlock the full functionality. The free version has some limitations that are listed in the Google Play description.

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About the Author

Andreas Ødegård was an associate editor at Pocketables. He’s more interested in aftermarket (and user created) software and hardware than chasing the latest gadgets and tends to stick with his choice of device for a long time as a result of that. Currently that includes an iPad mini and a Samsung Galaxy S II.

Shane

Hey Andreas,

Thanks for all the great references. I am just starting to see all of the possibilities of using the auto notifications. Something I’ve been trying to figure out… How do you reference an icon in one of the standard libraries? Or a downloaded library? Tasker makes it easy by allowing you to select one from a list, but AutoNotification isn’t so kind, so your have to give it a com.blahblah reference. Any ideas?

Cheers
Shane

Shane

Actually, I just watched tour video that I missed the first time around and noticed you have a list. It seems I am running an old version? Mine makes me type in a URL.

Andreas Ødegård

I have the latest Google Play version, so check if there’s an update. If not, it might have to do with default app actions. Is it the question to use a local file you’re missing, or more options when you do so?

Andreas Ødegård

Also note that AutoRemote Notification doesnt have that feature, but AutoNotification does

Shane

I just downloaded the latest and now see the option for “Status bar icon”. However, it seems that the “Icon” property can only be set to an HTML file or local file. That is, it doesn’t give you a nice list to choose standard system icons from. My question was more “how can I give a location to the “Icon” property that will return a system icon? (Not a local image from Gallery)”

I assumed that if you had access to put any file as the icon, you wouldn’t need the system icons. But maybe I’ll add that as an option on the next version.

Shane

On an unrelated note, do you know of any action that will “unscroll” or exit the notification drop down? For example, I have a button on an AutoNotification that launches my calendar. After doing so, however, the calendar launches behind the pull down menu and I have to manually drag it up to get it put of the way and see the calendar that it just launched. Note also that I don’t want to kill the AutoNotification entry.

Thanks again,
Shane

Andreas Ødegård

Use the Persistent option to avoid killing it. Try to use the Go Home action before you launch the calendar to make the pull-down go away

Shane

A good thought but unfortunately it doesn’t seem like Go Home effects the pull down screen.

Andreas Ødegård

Hmm, indeed. Found another: “Close System Dialogs” under “Input” works for me for closing notifications

If you put any value in the Action on Touch field, the pull down bar will go up. :)

Shaun

I’d love to use this but I can’t, it just doesn’t work with persistent set to true. I’m not sure if it’s the app or the notification system itself. If I have persistent set to true, it pops up in the ongoing section of my expanded notifications, but it doesn’t have the buttons.

If I set persistent to false, it’s in the notification section, with the button, but it’s obviously not a persistent notification. I also see that your expanded notification looks different than what I have, you don’t have the ongoing and notification sections like I do, and yours along with others I’ve seen, open up expanded. I have to pull the notifications down, and then do a two finger pull down on the notification for it to expand.

Andreas Ødegård

Let me guess, Samsung phone? Or something else that ruins the UI in the name of “improving” the device

Shaun

I have the same phone as you mate, the S2, running jelly bean 4.1.2 – I’ve often wondered why my notifications look and act different than everybody else’s, and I don’t have that nice little coloured square on the left, and now this doesn’t work, it’s the one thing I was really looking forward to using. Oh well ….. Looks like another uninstalled app is on the way, shame really.

Andreas Ødegård

I’m running a custom ROM, Chameleon. It has Samsung components, but none of the Samsung bloat that ruins the UI, so if you’re using Samsung’s Jelly Bean, there’s your problem :S

Shaun

I might take a look at Chameleon. I wonder if it will stop my sleep mode being a joke, since the JB update I sleep for eight thousand hours at night, and not eight, i never have been able to fix it.

Andreas Ødegård

My sleep mode can still count, so not sure what the issue is there- but have you tried just dividing by 1000?

Shaun

Actually, no I haven’t. For some stupid reason I overlooked that obvious math. When I updated, I had so many things not working, I got fed up with bug hunting all day and switched Tasker off, and it stayed off for about 3 months. I’ve only just started to think about fixing what’s left, but this notification thing is really annoying me

Shaun

Just to let you know that dividing by 1000 didn’t work. I’ve been sat here all morning trying to figure out what could be wrong, with no luck, so i guess that’s something else that’s not working. Also, joaomgcd has asked for screenshots to see if he can help with the persistent notification bug that i’ve got, because im not having much luck with getting this working as it should.

Shaun

At 06:20 when you showed the screen capture, with the big picture notifications (i missed it the first time), how did you do that? I asked joaomgcd and he said Tasker couldn’t detect the last file in a directory, and maybe he should make a plugin.

i got Tasker doing the screenshot with /system/bin/screencap -p/storage/pathToFile/screenshot.png However, i wanted it working from the normal home+power way of doing the screencapture. I’ve just looked at this vid for something else and i see you’ve done it, what way did you do it ? home+power or /system/bin/screencap -p

Andreas Ødegård

I didn’t, that’s a built in notification when you take a screenshot. I just used it to how what a big pic notification is

Shaun

ok, thanks for that!

Brandon

Okay so, wow. First I don’t want to waste your guys time but I do want to say quickly… Thank you for writhing and reveiwing everything done so far with Tasker. I’m running JB and most what’s out there is outdated for me, except what you write. Being totally new to this, that REALLY helps. Thanks again!

My question is this… How can I get a “message action” to run when a notification is clicked? I have a persistent status notification running for an app I’m trying to write. When certain phone features are enabled and the app is possible to run successfully, the notification changes. When conditions are right, selecting the notification enables the app UI menu.

I want to flash the user notification when the app is enabled but conditions aren’t right (flash what the user will see when app conditions are met) and then when conditions are met and the notification is selected it opens an overlay of the menu UI (a tasker 3 button icon popup). I have entered the name of the action message to run on both notifications, even set profile conditions to activate when clicked, and tried every conceivable variation within but have had no luck.

I can get them to all activate and enteract correctly when manually running the task through tasker. Just can’t get the actions to link through Autonotification and tasker.

Any ideas?

Andreas Ødegård

Glad to be of help. There’s not nearly enough information in your comment to try to guess what’s wrong, but just from experience, there’s no reason anything like that shouldn’t work except for mistakes caused by users. There are several ways of doing what it sounds like you’re trying to do, and a hundred ways to do each of them wrong :)

Brandon

First, what is acceptable input for action in autonotification? Is it a message name title that determines which message notification to display when clicked? Or can I use a Profile name from tasker to run? Task name?

I also think I have discovered why they aren’t connecting. For some reason tasker cannot recognize the profile that defines the context that connects them. When attempting to switch profile status, the profile name is recognized from the drop down list. When testing an error occurs saying profile toggle does not exist. When changing the name of that profile, no alert flash referencing actions were changed names also. But, when I check the action names were actually changed including the toggle action that produces the error.

I understand there are a limited number of ways to make a process successful. But, I don’t see how I messed this up. I appreciate any insight you might have. If you’re really interested, I can try and break down everything if I’m still stuck in a few days.

Andreas Ødegård

Buttons send messages that determine which AN profiles run based on them. Not task names etc. This is clearly states both in this article and the Google Play description.Willing to bet your issues are related to that

Brandon

That’s what I thought and what I’ve tried. Didn’t know if it was the title of the AN, the text, etc. to get it to activate though. I’ve been doing hours of reading everyday before posting (I realize tendency is just for people to ask without reading) so since I’ve been hitting brick walls I figured I’d double check my bases.

I got the profile to finally register as an actual profile name by changing it to all capitol letters. Don’t know why it worked but it finally did. No error message anymore.

Still working back the problem but I noticed the action I wanted was completed when I selected the notification I wanted flashed (when selected it reverted to the persistent notification) so it appears for me selecting an action in AN doesn’t GOTO but rather GETSFROM. In other words, the action notification has the notification title of the AN that it reacts from.

However, from what I have read this is not how the actions as defined are supposed to interact. A user should define the action when an AN is selected and it should go to that action. Not, as I am experiencing, define in the resulting action notification of the AN which AN intitates the action. Am I correct?

Andreas Ødegård

You’re using some terminology and phrasing that results in me not really understanding what you’re saying or what the problem is. As such I can only really explain this from the ground up rather than based on your comment.

As an example, I use AN for todo list notifications. The notifications have two buttons. Button 1 of my home list notification has an “Action Button 1” that says “clearhome”. That means that when the button is pressed, the message “clearhome” is sent through the AN message system. I then have a completely separate profile where the context is the AutoNotification context, where “message filter” is set to “clearhome”. That means that this profile will activate whenever the button is clicked, because it reacts to the same message that the button creates. Then all I have to do is put everything I want that button to do in the task attached to that profile.

This system is similar to what’s being used by AutoRemote and AutoVoice; you have separate profiles that react to messages. A lot of people go horribly wrong in failing to realize this and instead expect to tie a task directly to the button or something like that.

The other methods for sending messages to trigger things with AN, such as clicking the entire notification, works the exact same way.

Brandon

Thank you. Your comment got me looking at my context elements utilizing AN. I realized the context wasn’t limited to simply the message filter, however I had no idea the settings of an AN pushed a user defined message into the context of an AN event. I will have to play around more, and thank you again for explaining that from the ground up for a novice. You’ve opened many new doors for me now and I expect my issue will be resolved shortly.

amad

Hey Andreas,

Any chance you can upload those profiles? Thanks.

wonde wag

hi pls if can do a tut that demonstrate all steps how to take a picture of thief using tasker and show location of the phone and picture of thief via an email. thanks